Man behind Apple’s ‘i’ names set to speak at SCSU

The advertising man who named the iMac — leading inevitably to the iPod, iPhone, iPad and countless imitators — will be in St. Cloud next week to talk about simplicity in advertising.

Ken Segall, an ad executive who worked with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for more than 12 years, will speak to the American Advertising Federation of Central Minnesota.The event is set for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday at Auto Parts Headquarters, 2959 Clearwater Road.

Although he also worked with many other huge companies, Segall is perhaps best known for his work with Apple. He wrote the “Think Different” ad campaign in 1997, shortly after Jobs returned to Apple following a 12-year absence because of a power struggle.

The next year, iMac was one of five names Segall dreamed up for Jobs’ new computer that would revolutionize desktop publishing. The iMac’s launch coincided with Apple forging back from near bankruptcy to eventually become one of America’s most powerful companies.

“(W)e had no idea it was going to turn into what it did,” Segall said. “At the time, we just needed a name for a new computer.”

“In those days, you had to get a modem and all this stuff that was kind of a pain in the butt. ... That’s why they designed the computer with simplicity. You plugged it into electricity, and you plugged it into a phone jack, and that was it. The ‘i’ came rather quickly. It was one of the first names I came up with. Looking back, it was easy. But then nothing is easy because we ended up filling walls and going through hundreds of names.”

Segall, who lives in New York with his wife and their 16-year-old son, said he developed iMac from an effort by IBM to tout its eBusiness program. He liked the way the lower-case letter looked and convinced Jobs the ‘i’ could be used with other names.

The only problem with iMac? Jobs didn’t like it.

In fact, he never formally assented to the name. According to Segall, it just began appearing on computers.

“That was not atypical for him,” Segall said. “You just stand back and let him decide what he decides. I never got the phone call, ‘Hey, we’re going with your idea.’ ”

He last worked for Apple more than five years ago and, now 63, chooses to work only on selected advertising campaigns. For example, the past two years he produced the JC Penney ads — including some with Ellen Degeneres — that ran during the 2012 Oscars.

Segall has written a book “Insanely Simple: The Obsession that Drives Apple’s Success.”

“I don’t think any of us, including Steve, thought at that time there could be handheld devices, ... I wasn’t with him anymore by the time they came out with the iPad, and there was big speculation about what that was going to be called. ... I figured if it wasn’t going to have the i-thing, then they would move away from that — but if it did, we’d have the i’s forever. Everyone gets it instantly with the ‘i’ — it’s an Apple product and runs iOS. They would probably be very stupid to change it at this point.”

Jobs died in 2011 of pancreatic cancer.

“I’m most proud of my time with Apple and Steve, just because it was an adventure,” said Segall. “There are a lot of people in advertising who think, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a client like this or a product that would change the world?’ It was handed to me on a silver platter. It was the best possible job for an advertising person who loves technology.”

Follow Kevin Allenspach on Twitter @KevinAllenspach.

If you go ...

What: Former Apple advertising executive Ken Segall.

When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday.

Where: Auto Parts Headquarters, 2959 Clearwater Road.

Details: His speech is open to the public, but preregistration is required by the end of business hours Tuesday at www.adfedcentral.com. Cost for nonmembers is $30 for professionals and $20 for students; that includes lunch.